Local traditions and culture in Tagaytay City

Eating at Mang Inasal reminded me to write about the vinegar eels in naturally fermented vinegar. After I dipped my pork BBQ in vinegar, I knew it was made from coconut sap. In my home province, I used to ask my mother-in-law's maid to make naturally fermented coconut vinegar for my household use. That is why I am used to the sight of vinegar eels. However, to the uninitiated, seeing moving vinegar eels in the bottle can be quite shocking. There is really no reason to worry, as the vinegar eels are not parasitic worms. They are present in the vinegar to eat the bacteria normally present in the naturally fermenting coconut sap. They stay in the vinegar until they run out of bacteria to eat; afterwhich, they die, too... So the next time you see wriggling vinegar eels, that's your indicator that the vinegar was naturally fermented, and not made of acetic acid.